Dover hockey loses nail-biter vs. Bedford

Thursday

Feb 13, 2014 at 3:15 AM

By John Doylejdoyle@fosters.com Twitter: @JohnDoyle603

DOVER — If the Dover High School boys hockey team meets Bedford again in next month’s Division II tournament, then Wednesday night’s contest between the two clubs set the stage for one heck of a rematch.

The Green Wave fell just short of knocking the Bulldogs from the ranks of the unbeaten as visiting Bedford twice rallied from deficits, scoring the game winner with 1:38 to go in a 6-4 win at the Dover Arena’s Foster Rink.

“Hopefully we see them in the finals,” said Dover Cam Crowley, who scored three goals for his fourth hat trick of the season. “Or the semis. That would be great. We’ll just keep pushing.”

Bedford, the two-time defending champs, improved to 13-0 and Dover fell to 10-3. It was Dover’s first time back on the ice since a thrilling 4-2 win over rival Spaulding the previous Wednesday. The Bulldogs beat the Green Wave in the D-II final two seasons ago.

Dover couldn’t hold on to leads of 2-0 and 4-3, as Bedford scored the final tying goal and the game winner less than two minutes apart at the end of the third. Bedford also added an empty-net goal with 16 seconds to play.

“I thought we had a great effort,” Dover coach Steve Riker said. “I really didn’t think there was anything wrong with the way we played. They got some bounces at the end. We didn’t. It was a hockey game.”

Crowley scored twice late in the first period to give the Green Wave a 2-0 lead, but Bedford got some big momentum going into the second when it scored with one second to play in the opening frame. Dover was called for a bench minor as time expired in the first, giving Bedford a full two minutes with an extra skater on a fresh sheet of ice.

Dover successfully killed off that penalty and caught a break when an apparent Bedford goal was called off after it was ruled that the puck had gone into the netting above the glass before bouncing back into play. But Bedford took a 3-2 lead with goals from Asa Palker and Brett Veilleux at 9:47 and 11:28, respectively. The Bulldogs took a 3-2 lead into the third period.

“Dover was well prepared for us,” said Bedford coach Marty Myers. “They’re a good-skating team and they have a fast pace to them. They make quick decisions.”

Bedford was called for a five-minute major late in the second period for hitting from behind, and Dover had 1:07 left to go on that power play entering the third, and even had 45 seconds of 5-on-3 when the Bulldogs were called for another minor just 22 seconds into the frame.

The Green Wave wasted no time getting back in the game. Although Bedford killed off the 5-on-3, Crowley made his hat trick complete at 1:17 on a power play when he sent a slap shot at Bedford goalie Alec Lindberg, who appeared to make the save between his pads before the puck trickled across the goal line for the equalizer.

“I saw a lane, I saw my teammate Griff (Guerra) screening in front,” Crowley said. “Took a shot. I guess it went right in.”

Griffin Guerra made it 4-3 Dover when he deftly scooped the rebound of a shot by Adam White around Lindberg’s extended right pad at 8:34 on another Dover power play. Lindberg finished with 18 saves.

Unfortunately for Dover, it was plenty of time for the Bulldogs to rally again and keep their perfect record intact. Veilleux notched his second of the game when he swept a rebound past Dover goalie Luc Ravenelle (25 saves) at 11:28. Bedford took the lead for a final time when Mike Dee redirected a weak writer just enough to fool Ravenelle and put the visitors up 5-4 with 1:38 to play.

“I think we’ve finally started playing with some emotion, some intensity,” Riker said. “I like that. That’s how we’re going to have to play in the playoffs. I like the direction we’re heading in that regard. We got some bounces against Spaulding and we didn’t get some against Bedford. That’s how it goes.”

Dover became the first team this season to score more than two goals against Bedford. The Green Wave return to action on Saturday at Timberlane.